Yes, I am Homeschooling!

It seems as though every time we leave the house, a random stranger asks Crawfish Pie about school. Her adorable four year old response is usually something like "I'm done with school", at which point the random stranger looks to me for an explanation. When I tell them that we are homeschooling, I typically get the awkward "Oh" as a response, and occasionally its the ever so rude "Why?". At some point, I began telling people that she was only four and we were just skipping Pre-K. For some reason, skipping Pre-K is more acceptable to the general public than the idea of homeschooling. Perhaps because public school is considered the norm, or there is some underlying expectation that only religious fanatics keep their kids home to prevent the corruption of their spirit by theories of evolution. Their opinion is really none of my business, as my decision to homeschool is really none of theirs. However, one day it occurred to me that I may be sending the wrong message to my Crawfish Pie by not defending, and at times avoiding, the topic of homeschooling. I don't want her to think there is a reason to be ashamed or that homeschooling is somehow inadequate. In fact, I believe the contrary to be true. Why would I want to invest my child's educational future in a system plagued with budget shortfalls, crowded classrooms, and failing test scores? My reason for choosing to homeschool is to provide all the knowledge she can soak up, without the exclusions that occur when a school is forced to cater to the lowest common denominator and refrain from certain teachings due to political correctness, fear of religion in the classroom, or segregation. There may come a point in our life when it is financially required of me to find a paying job, thus forcing Crawfish Pie into the public school system. And if that time comes, I can rest assured that I raised her with good values and a thirst for knowledge and success that no four cinder block walls could ever contain. But for now, we are quite happy to be poor and at home, soaking up all the world has to offer. Afterall, the best lessons in life are free (and so are the painting lessons at our local library).